The key points

Key points and initiatives in President George W Bush's State of the Union address:

Iraq · Defended the US-led invasion of Iraq, and claimed progress toward quelling the violent insurgency, with 45 of the former regime's top 55 officials captured or killed.

· Reiterated the commitment to full sovereignty for Iraqis by the end of June.

War On Terrorism · Noted there has not been an attack on US soil in 28 months.

· Demanded Congress renew the USA Patriot Act.

· Argued that America was safer after US-led invasions overthrew regimes in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Expanding democracy · Urged doubling the budget for the National Endowment for Democracy, set up by Congress to provide grants to pro-democracy groups around the world. The additional $US40 million ($A52 million) would be targeted to programs in the Middle East.

Weapons of mass destruction · Cited Libya's decision to renounce weapons of mass destruction and encouraged other nations, especially North Korea and Iran, to follow suit.

Social security · Pressed Congress to overhaul Social Security to allow workers to invest some of their payroll taxes in private retirement accounts.

Health care · Proposed that people who buy catastrophic health care coverage as part of new health savings accounts be allowed to deduct 100 per cent of the premiums from their taxes. The new tax-free savings accounts were part of the Medicare prescription drug bill signed into law last month.

· Urged Congress to set up refundable tax credits of up to $US1,000 ($A1,300) for individuals and $US3,000 ($A3,900) for families to help low-income workers buy health insurance.

· Allow small businesses to band together and negotiate lower insurance rates so they can cover workers.

Drugs and sex · Proposed an additional $US23 million ($A30 million) for schools that want to use drug testing to expand early intervention programs.

· Appealed to major sports leagues and athletes to end the use of performance-enhancing drugs, such as steroids, and implement stringent drug policies.

· Announced new ways to educate teenagers and parents about the health risks associated with early sexual activity, including a public education campaign to help parents talk to their children, and doubling to $US270 million ($A352 million) the funding for abstinence education programs.

Marriage · Repeated his belief that marriage should be between a man and a woman, and expressed support for a constitutional amendment, if necessary, to ban same-sex marriages.

Economy and jobs · Urged Congress to make tax cuts permanent.

· Proposed spending $US250 million ($A326.12 million) to fund partnerships between community colleges and employers in high-demand sectors.

· Proposed $US100 million ($A130.45 million) to help students with reading and $US120 million ($A156.54 million) to improve math education.

· Sought to expand advanced-placement programs in low-income schools and urged professionals with math and science experience to become part-time high school teachers.

· Proposed larger Pell Grants for students who prepare for college with demanding courses in high school.

Religious-based programs · Renewed his push for legislation to give religious groups more access to federal funds for social services, as long as their services were available to anyone but without requiring them to make fundamental changes.

· Proposed a new four-year, $US300 million ($A391.34 million) prisoner re-entry initiative to expand job training and placement services to provide transitional housing and help newly released prisoners get mentoring, including from faith-based groups, to prevent recidivism.